Oil burning floor furnace



June 19, 1956 M. c. BUCKLEY 2,750,935

011. BURNING FLOOR FURNACE Filed April 29, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 Q I INVENTOR jlllzya GTBua/tZey N WVM ATTORNEYfi June 19, 1956 M. c. BUCKLEY 2,750,935

OIL. BURNING FLOOR FURNACE Filed April 29, 1.953 ZSheats-Sheet 2 N Q INVENTOR May o 6151407: Zey

ATTORNEYs United States Patent OIL BURNING FLOOR FURNACE Mayo C. Buckley, Athens, Ga.

Application April 29, 1953, Serial No. 351,972

1 Claim. (Cl. 126-116) This invention appertains to improvements in oil furnaces and especially relates to an improved floor oil. furnace which embodies a burner or power unit that is smokeless and most economical and efiicient.

A primary object of this invention is to provide an oil floor furnace which is economical in operation.

A further object of this invention is to provide an oil floor furnace which involves the vaporization of liquid fuel and the operation of the unit on gases produced thereby.

Another object of this invention is to provide a burner unit, which is built to withstand heavy firing, which automatically converts fuel, such as oil or kerosene, into a gas and which generates a jet flame.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a small and compact oil floor furnace, which is easily installed, not requiring any excavation or ducts, and which consumes a substantially small amount of fuel in achieving a high B. t. u. output.

These and ancillary objects are attained by this invention, the best known form of which is described in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a longitudinal medial vertical sectional view of an oil floor furnace constructed in accordance with the teachings of this invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal horizontal sectional view taken on line 2-2 of Figure l.

Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawings, the furnace includes a rectangular casing 12, which is formed with a closed bottom wall '14, a front wall 16, back wall 18, and opposing sides and 22. The top of the casing 12 is open and upper edges of the walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 are formed with out wardly projecting lateral mounting flanges 24 that are adapted to be seated on the upper surface of the floor 26 between the floor joists (not shown). A grill 28 seats on the flanges 24 and is formed with longitudinally extending bars 30 and heavy cross bars 32.

Mounted within the casing 12 and disposed below the grill 28 is a double walled rectangular shell 34, which has an open bottom and an outer wall 36 that is spaced inwardly from the walls 16, 18, 20 and 22 of the casing 12. The inner wall 38 of the shell is formed with outwardly projecting channels 40 that are afiixed to the in side of the outer wall 36 and space a major portion of the inner wall 38 therefrom. The outer Wall 36 and inner wall 38 have, therefore, spaces 42 formed therebetween. The spaces 42 have a deflective flange 44 extending over their open top with the flange 44 projecting upwardly and inwardly from the upper edge of the outer wall 36. The shell 34 is seated on channel bars 46 and 48 that are transversely fixed to the bottom wall 14 in the casing, so that the open lower ends of the spaces 42 are spaced above the bottom wall 14.

Within the shell 34 is a rectangular housing or inner shell 50, which has opposing side walls 52 and 54. The back portions of the inner walls 38 and outer walls 36 of the shell 34 are formed with an opening 58 to receive a pipe 60 that is carried horizontally by the back wall 62 of the housing or inner shell 50. The pipe 60 is adapted to be attached to any suitable stack, chimney or like exhaust member (not shown).

The bottom wall 64 of the shell 50rests on the channel bars 46 and 48. A rectangular extension 66 projects forwardly of the front wall 68 and has lateral mounting flanges 56 formed thereon, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The bottom wall 64 is formed with an opening 70 and aligned with the opening 70 and carried by the bottom wall 64 is an upstanding pipe 72, which communicates with a suitable opening formed in the top wall 74 of the shell or housing 50. The top wall 74 is also provided with a hingedly mounted door 76 that has a transparen window 78. Disposed forwardly of the pipe 72 and positioned -vertically in the shell or housing 50 is a baffle 80 that has lateral mounting flanges 82 formed on its side edges and suitably afiixed to the side walls 52 and 54 of the shell. The baflle 80 lies below the top wall 74 and is spaced slightly forwardly of the pipe 72, as shown in Figure l.

Mounted on the bottom wall 64 within the shell 50 by means of feet 84 that depend from the bottom wall 86 thereof and are suitably secured to the bottom wall 64 of the shell 50 is a fire box 88. Firebox 88 has upstanding side walls 90 and 92 and a back wall 94 which terminates at its upper edge in a forwardly projecting lateral flange 96. .The top of the firebox 88 is open, ex-' cept for the flange 96 at the back wall 94. The side walls 90 and 92 are spaced inwardly from the side walls 52 and 54 ofthe shell 50, as shown in Figure 2. Disposed within the rectangular projection 66 of the front.

wall 68 of the shell 50 is a combustion chamber 98, which has a forwardly projecting coaxially reduced nozzle 100 that is positioned within the firebox 88.

A centrifugal blower 152 is secured to the front Wall' 16 and discharges into the combustion chamber 98."

A spark plug 156 is threaded in a holder 158 in the tube 148 creating a vacuum and drawing in the fuel from the line 202. This is of importance, for when the burner has been .shut off the last remaining small quantity of fuel in the line 202 is drawninto the pipe 148 by the airl and is exhausted into the combustion chamber 98 which, upon continued operation of the blower 152 becomes purged.

Mounted above the float chamber 196 is a control box for a thermostatically controlled switch 206. The switch 206 is suitably connected by a connection (not shown) to a conventional room thermostat (not shown) arranged at any desired point Within a building to be heated. The switch 206 controls a circuit for the blower 152 and the transformer 214 which is mounted on a front wall 16 and the transformer supplies, through a suitable connection, electrical power to the spark plug 156.

The switch 206 controls a valve 234 connected in the line 202 to regulate the flow of fuel to the float chamber.

A thermostatic control (not shown) is provided which closes off the fuel line (not shown) to the float chamber 196, in the event of hazardous operating conditions, that is, overheating of the furnace 10 and is controlled by a capillary tube 236 that extends between the casing 12 and the shell 34.

Prior to operation of the burner unit the spark plug 156 and centrifugal blower 152 are not in operation, and the fuel valve 234 is closed. Thus, when the furnace 10 is Patented June 19, 1956 fan 252-, and the spark plug 156 through the transformer 214. The admixed fuel and air now entering combustion chamber 98 is in vaporized form- The air passing through the tube 148 creates a partial vacuum" to draw the fuel from the line 202 into thecombustion chamber 98. Thus, oxygen is mixed with the'fuel in advance of its delivery to the combustion chamber 98 The vapor is ignited by the spark at the electrodes 160 and issues in'the' form of a jet from the nozzle 100;

The admixed gases issue from the nozzle 100m the form of a jet.

The hot gases impinge against the rear wall 94 of the fire box 88 and are diverted into a vertical path. The

baflle plate 80 is provided to slow down the gases ir'rimediat'ely in advance of the air pipe '72 around which the gases swirl in passing out through the exhaust pipe 60. The air passingup through the pipe 72 isthus heated.

When the temperature in the zone to be heated reaches the set point, the room thermostat opens the circuit and the switch 206 closes the valve 234. Thus, when the room thermostat has been satisfied the flow of oil is cut oif. However, the spark plug 156 and blower 152 are maintained in operation for a period or from 3' to 5 minutes due to' the longer cooling period of the element 208. This permits the blower 152 to completely purge the combustio'n" chamber 98 so that it is left clean for the next firing cycle.

After the switch 206 opens, the transformer 214 and blower 152 are cut off and the burner unit is completely out of operation. When the burner unit is in such nonoperating state, no electricity or fuel is consumed.

The burner unit, when in operation,- consumes ele'c trical power for the spark plug 156 and blower 152.- The admixed oil or kerosene and air flowing onto the bottom wall 116 of the inner shell 106 is vaporized, due to the temperature of the inner shell 106, which is maintained at the high temperature by the combustion of the vapor.

The admixing of the liquid fuel and air prior to the delivery thereof to the combustion chamber 98 eliminates any hangover period of flickering flame. In addition, the mixture of fuel and air eliminates any smoking of the burner 'unit'.

While the best known form of this invention has been described herein and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, other forms may be realized as come within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

A liquid fuel furnace comprising a housing having up: standing side walls, a bottom wall secured to the side Walls, an outwardly extending flange formed at the top edge of said side walls for engagement with a floor of a building to be heated, said housing having its upper face completely open, a shell having an open bottom and an open top, means supporting said shell on said bottom wall with the lower edge of said shell spaced apart from said bottom wall, walls forming" an inner chamber positioned within said shell and supported in spaced apart relation on said bottom wall by said means supporting said shell, a vertically extending air pipe passing" through said chamber, a firebox comprising a bottom wall, a pair of opposed side walls, a rear wall, and supporting legs secured to said bottom wall, said firebox being positioned in said chamber with said rear wall positioned adjacent said air pipe, a pipe connecting said inner chamber adjacent the front end of said firebox and extending to an opening in said outer housing, a pot ty e burner having a horizontal nozzle providing a jet opening, said burner being mounted on said housing and extending through said pipe with the jet opening thereof positioned between the side walls of said firebox and directed toward the rearwal'l thereof so that flame emanating from said nozzle of said burner will impinge on said rear wall, a combustion gas outlet pipe extending from said chamber to an opening in said housing diametrically opposite to said burner, and a bafiie, said bathe extending vertically from the bottom of said chamber between the sides thereof terminating below the top of said chamber, said baffle being positioned between said firebox and said air pipe.

. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,094,456 Lattner Sept. 28, 1937 2,161,021 De Lin June 6', 1939 2,175,866 Arnold d. Oct. 10, 1939 2,375,900 De Lancey May 15, 1945 2,401,330 Breese -d June 4, 1946 2,410,881 Hunter Nov. 12, 1946 2,416,766 Miller et 31. Mar. 4, 1947 2,418,882 Holthouse Apr. 15, 1947 2,458,630 Palko s ran. 1 1 1949 2,581,145 Roberts Jan: 1, 1952 2,582,827 Gibson inn. is, 1952 2,589,702 Kelly a 'Mar. 1'8,- 1952 2,640,648 Judson June 2, 1953 2,647,567 Ciglia a Aug. 4, i953 2,657,744 Newton 2., Nov. 3, 1953 2,662,589 Aubert ..u Dec. 15, 1953 2,693,913 Resek et al. 1 Nov, 9, 1-954 

